The Lights Are Back On
by shan14
Summary: Just being here with you, It's news to me, Tell everybody, The lights are back on - The Whitlams
1. Chapter 1

Lightning flashed darkly through the pouring rain, illuminating a thin stream that trickled through the kitchen and up his back, revealing her flushed cheeks hidden in the shadow of the night.

She scraped a nail up the side of his face; whispering his name teasingly against the rough skin of his neck as she trailed her lips towards his mouth, feeling him smile against her own.

His hands grasped the thin material of her jeans tightly, holding her firmly on the bench and within his reach, her own coming up to tangle themselves loosely in his locks of brown hair, falling in waves across his forehead to mix with her own blonde, pressed against him as she wrapped her legs around his waist to tug him closer.

She paused a minute, laying her sweaty palm against his flushed cheek, taking in a ragged breath as he whispered gently to her, both their minds clearing.

"What are we doing?"

His question was so soft that for a moment her eye's fluttered closed, skin tingling as his warm breath soothed her a moment, before the meaning registered and she recoiled quickly, pushing against his still heaving chest.

"Kate?" he asked, confusion settling across his features slowly. He gripped her tighter to him, heartbeat racing steadily as he realised what had just occurred.

"Kate? Talk to me" he whispered. He tried to nudge her forehead gently, still revelling from the feel of her fingertips dug tightly into his forearms.

"We can't"

He lifted his hands gently from her sides at those words, stepping halfway back to allow her the space to move, space to run from his house once and for all.

Tears prickled dangerously behind her eyes as she lifted a hand to gently brush against her lips, swollen now from the feel of him against her.

She couldn't remember how they had gotten to such a stage moments earlier; her mind was instead full of the scent of him, faint trace of sea salt still lingering from the weeks they had spent on the ocean.

Her heart beat rhythmically against her chest, dull ache already spreading at the loss of his fingers dug deep into her hips, his lips pushing steadily against her own.

His eyes searched hers out through the dark, tears glistening as lightning crackled loudly overhead. She resisted the urge to run a hand down his face, soothing the troubled look crossing his features; instead she tried to smile, failing miserably.

Without a word he brought his lips to her forehead, pressing them their gently before brushing the lock of hair hanging loosely between her eyes away, startling her with the boldness of the gesture.

"Kate, I need you"

Four small words he whispered and she broke down, leaning her head against his shoulder and running a hand around the inside of his shirt, gripping his chest to feel his heartbeat steady against her palm.

Gaining confidence Mike lay a hand gently a top her hair, tangling his fingers in the blonde locks when she didn't back away.

"There's something else" he whispered, now leaning heavily against the bench and with his other arm holding her tight to his chest.

He heard her mumble a reply, muffled against the front of his shirt as she shuffled in his arms.

"I think, I might be falling in love with you, and I can't stop"

---

Rain pitter pattered incessantly against his window, the curtains thrown open so he could watch the morning sunrise each day, though there was to be none, only an endless void of grey rumbling clouds out to sea.

From where he was curled on the bed he could vaguely make out the breaks in the waves down by the beach, white tips foaming roughly before crashing onto the dull sand, warning any passer-by to stay inside where it was warmer.

"Morning" he whispered, running a fingertip down her cheek to the hollow at the edge of her shoulder blade, smiling as she shudder against his touch.

She untangled herself from the thin white sheet, keeping his arm wrapped around her steadily to help her sit up slowly.

"Is it?" she mumbled in reply, voice sleep laden as she stared out at the dreary day thundering in.

She shuddered unexpectedly as he leaned against her; breath tickling her ear as he laughed instead.

"Rain, rain and more rain, meaning we can stay inside all day"

His laughter tapered off as she turned suddenly in his arms, glancing at the clock before gasping in realisation.

"I have to go" she announced to the quiet room, save for the constant rain. She pushed his arm away clambering from the sheets before turning, remembering the events from the previous night and the terribly forlorn look he was gazing at her with.

She crawled over the mattress as he sat up, confusion evident as she leaned in for a kiss; the first since last night.

"We have to talk about this, but first I have to see someone"

She pressed her lips to his once more, this time succeeding in leaving him breathless before she pulled back.

As quick as she had come she was gone from his room, the clattering of furniture being moved as she searched out her bag growing quiet as the loud thud of his front door being slammed reverberated throughout the household.

Some part of his brain was mildly aware of what had just happened, another was lost in the senses and emotions of the previous night whilst the majority of his mind wandered aimlessly, wrapping itself in the warmth that her figure had left on the mattress and beneath the sheets.

_My sheets_ he thought with a grin, falling back onto them.


	2. Chapter 2

Puddles splashed around Kate's feet as she rushed towards her car, scrambling to throw open the door and relishing the warmth that came with no longer being in the rain the moment she was inside.

She fumbled around her bag for her phone, smiling to herself as she felt her fingers brush the cool metal of the device.

Without looking she hit her speed dial, feeling her stomach start to flutter with each ring, the thought of who was on the other end causing her heart to skip a beat.

"Cold man with empty sheets speaking" he quipped.

Kate dissolved in giggles, muffling the very unlike her sound with a hand and leaning back into the seat and tucking the phone up against her ear.

"I'm serious Katline; I want you here, now, next to me"

A slow shiver ran up her spin at his words, the low grumble of his voice vibrating through her body so that all she wanted was to comply to his wishes then and there.

"Preferably with very little on" he couldn't resist adding.

"You're very demanding Lieutenant" she teased, subconsciously starting her car up and backing out of the car park, turning left towards his house.

"Lieutenant Commander gorgeous, position is everything" he reminded. He shuffled under the sheets, holding the phone to his ear with his shoulder as he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed before standing and walking towards the open curtain, all the while listening to her steady breathing on the other end of the phone.

"Kate" he began, whispering her name softly.

She hummed gently in reply, the only other sound filling their senses that of the low rumble of her car as she sped towards his house.

"I think I've fallen a bit more in love with you since last night"

Kate smiled lazily across the phone, unable to do much more than nod shyly, cheeks glowing a rosy red through the dull atmosphere of the day.

"I can't see you hun" he prompted, aware of her movements even though she was minutes away.

"Only a little bit more than last night?" she murmured happily, switching lanes to turn down his street. She pulled the car up gently outside, staring towards his front door where she had stood just over an hour ago, before she had spoken to _him_.

"I just saw Jim" she muttered before he could reply, leaning back against her car seat. She refused to move until he replied, ready to drive away if she was met with anger or join him under the sheets if he wasn't.

She waited anxiously as moments ticked past, spin tingling as he sighed loudly across the phone, causing her heart to ache unconditionally as she heard him sink onto the bed.

"And?" he asked simply.

"We talked things through, what happened last night, before I saw you" she answered, mind wandering to the fight the pair had shared, the last in a line of many that had separated the couple over the past few weeks.

"Mike, its over" she sighed finally, feeling her shoulders lighten a little at the thought that she was 'free'. Despite this, a fair amount of dread still hung in the air, surrounding her as she awaited Mike's reply.

"My sheets are still cold"

She couldn't help but grin as she threw the car door open, skipping up the stairs to his house and slipping inside.

---

"Sure we can do this?" asked Swain uncertainly, glancing between the four other men jumping slightly by the captain's front door, trying to escape the rain that was slanting teasingly onto them.

"I hate rain" grumbled Charge, holding his hands above his head to try and stop the droplets splashing against his forehead.

"The X said that he wouldn't be home and to set up for the party" grinned Josh, flipping through the keys hanging from his key ring. He cried out softly in triumph as he located the golden ticket to the captain's house, sliding it gracefully through the keyhole and turning it fluidly.

"Positive he won't kill us?" checked Swain one last time, hanging against the doorframe to stop himself falling through before confirmation had been achieved.

ET and Spider grinned at each other, pushing their way through and pulling with them a rather reluctant Buffer, Charge and Swain.

"Well, we're in now, aren't we?" mumbled Buffer.

All five men took a moment to take in the surroundings of their captain's home. Whilst a few of them had been there for brief moments in time, none had ever been able to take a proper look around, and so before the work began they subconsciously allowed themselves a five minute sticky beak, picking up photos and shifting through books and CD's, even the odd keep sake that the captain held close.

"Ay, come here" whispered ET joyously, holding up a frame and pointing to it with a grin.

"Little Mike Flynn?" he teased, showing the others a picture of a tiny boy in a boat, proudly holding up a fish almost as big as himself on the end of a line.

"Bloody fish looks like it's about to eat him" mumbled Buffer, already moving on towards the kitchen.

---

"I'm hungry" whispered Kate, mumbling into Mike's chest as he ran a lazy hand through her hair.

"Food, kitchen" he managed to reply, grinning down at her as she hit him soundly in the stomach, earning a spluttering cough.

"I'm quite comfortable" he defended, honestly not in the mood to move, and hoping that Kate would forget her stomach and join him in staying in bed all day.

He shut his eyes loosely, gripping her tighter to him as she tried to worm herself away from his embrace.

"Michael" she whined, drawing his name out like a three year old might before a tantrum. She glared at him for a second before beating a hand against his chest, using it to push herself up into a sitting position and slide across the sheets, bare feet hitting the floor with a soft thud.

She pulled Mike's shirt over her head, feeling the coolness of the garment discarded hours earlier against her skin.

After padding to the door she turned teasingly to smile at him, the grin widening at the sight of her man sprawled out underneath the thin bed sheet.

He winked at her as she turned to skip down the hallway, calling out softly to her retreating silhouette.

"It's getting cold Katline!"

---

"You here something?" asked Swain, holding a hand out to silence the other four men.

They looked between each other in confusion before shaking they're heads, Buffer rolling his eyes and clapping Swain on the back loudly.

"You're hearing things Swaino" he teased "Scaredy cat"

Josh and Spider snickered between themselves as they brushed past into the lounge room, carrying with them an array of balloons and streamers ready to be thrown 'festively' across the book shelves and lounges.

Meanwhile, Buffer was wandering towards the kitchen, in search of a pair of scissors to untangle Charge from the colourful banner that Sally and Chloe had hand painted for the occasion.

It read "Happy Birthday Boss!" in large rainbow letters, with a slightly wonky Hammersley painted in grey below, floating above the streak of blue that a one and a half year old Chloe had added, of which the men assumed was meant to be the sea.

He stopped short for a moment, barely managing to stop the very unmanly cry that was about to escape his lips at the sight of a very bare legged blonde standing with her back to him, some five metres away by the fridge and wearing nothing save for the shirt Mike had worn the night previously at the pub.

"Swaino!" he stage whispered, waving the man over dramatically whilst gesturing for all four men to remain as silent as possible.

They crowded around the small doorframe, crouching low in the hopes that the woman, who ever she was, wouldn't notice them spying on her from the room opposite.

"Thought the X said he wouldn't be home all afternoon!" cried Spider softly, brow crinkling in terror at the thought of the boss upstairs, and the implications upon them if he discovered them snooping around his house. After all, it'd taken the young sailor months to regain any hope of a promotion after the 'French flag debacle' as the crew so eloquently teased, that the thought of being reprimanded again horrified him.

"Obviously she wasn't banking on the captain getting some action last night" pondered Charge, earning a snort from ET.

All five men collapsed to the floor, praying to any god listening that the woman wouldn't notice them there as she slammed the fridge door, ET's rather large blunder possibly giving them away, not to mention costing them a few limbs.

However, a collective sigh filled the room as the mystery woman's footsteps disappeared down the hall, the men clambering to jump off each other as soon as the coast was clear.

---

Kate all but ran down the hallway to Mike's bedroom, sliding to a halt just outside the door and hopping nervously from foot to foot as she chastised herself for not remembering what the day was, more importantly what she had told the men about a certain partner of hers absence for the majority of it.

"Mike" she whispered sweetly, sliding through the doors with a bowl of fruit loops in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. Why he had fruit loops was beyond her, from memory he hated the sugary cereal, but they had been her guilty pleasure for years and it had thrilled her slightly to discover that he still bought them.

A grumbled reply greeted her from underneath the sheets, the large white bundle moving slightly as she dropped beside it, having placed the food on the bedside table.

"Michael" she tried once more, hoping even a little of the urgency in her voice would transfer to her sleepy man.

"Huh?" he grunted, swinging an arm around to tug at her back, pulling her down to rest against his chest with a humph.

He stared up at her expectantly, brow furrowing in confusion as he realised she wasn't playing around anymore.

"We have a problem"


	3. Chapter 3

Mike slithered an eye open slowly.

"How problematic to our current situation is this problem?" he enquired, chest rumbling against Kate's own. His top lip twitched as she sighed loudly, burying her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder.

"Happy Birthday" she mumbled absently, aware that it wouldn't be for much longer.

Mike, meanwhile, smiled broadly, poking Kate gently in the side and laughing as she squirmed in annoyance, whining softly against his ear to stop it.

"Or else what" he teased gently, tugging at her waist and leaning in for a kiss.

"Or else I'll call Buffer, Swain and the others up from downstairs"

Mike recoiled in alarm, all but jumping up in the bed so that Kate was left half sitting, half leaning against his chest, raising an eyebrow pointedly and settling in his lap.

He crinkled his brow oddly at her, silently wondering why on earth his crew where downstairs, in his house, whilst he was upstairs, in his bed; with Kate.

"Why?" he managed to croak out, unknowingly pulling her closer for comfort.

A loud roll of thunder shook the house slightly and the sound of glass breaking followed by harsh whispers from downstairs smashed any of the hope Mike had been clinging to that Kate was joking.

"They really are here" he sighed, burrowing his head against her shoulder.

She ran a hand distractedly through his hair, bracing herself for the truth and how he was most likely to accept it.

"Do you remember when you told me that you'd never had a surprise party?" she started, barely leaving room for Mike to answer before continuing the story in a hurried blur of words and erratic hand movements.

"Well, I had told the boys that you wouldn't be home today, I'd intended to steal you away for a working lunch instead, so that they'd be able to set up. Now, obviously, this latest turn of events" Kate motioned hazardously between the two of them, causing Mike to grab her hands and settle them in his own "Made me forget that today was the day, and so now we're here, and so are the boys; downstairs"

Kate closed her eyes lightly in anticipation for Mikes reply, soundly aware that their 'latest turn in events' as she had put it, was merely hours old, and with their track record, likely to collapse at any given moment.

"Obviously, we're going to have to distract them" contemplated Mike aloud slowly, lifting his head from Kate's shoulder and kissing her cheek.

---

"We have to go!" exclaimed Buffer in a whisper, brushing at the shattered wine glass that Spider had dropped moments ago.

The men considered it a minor miracle that the captain hadn't investigated the noise, possibly because he was in raptures with his blonde beauty, a thought which unsettled the younger members of the crew, and though none where complaining they each found it eerily helpful that their cover hadn't been blown.

"Boys?"

ET all but jumped into the arms of Swain at the sound of Sally's awfully loud voice echoing through the downstairs.

"You started setting up?"

Swain darted into the lounge room at lightning speed, waving frantically at his wife to stop talking. She raised an eyebrow at him in question, shifting Chloe against her shoulder.

"The boss is upstairs" whispered Swain, pointing at the roof in explanation.

Sally's brow crinkled in panic, the woman distinctly remembering Kate mention that Mike would not, under any circumstances, be home when they arrived.

"I thought?" she began, stopping as the other four men tip toed into the front room behind her husband.

"There's a woman with him" he explained.

"A blonde, half naked woman" piped up Spider.

Sally nodded along with the news, trying to process the situation whilst finding a way to get out of it. Meanwhile Chloe let out a squeal before throwing her tiny body towards her father, causing Sally to stumble forward and knock her knee on the coffee table, letting out a harsh cry.

All six bodies squashed into the lounge room flinched, praying silently that their luck would continue for a few more minutes until they were safely out the door.

---

"Sally must be here" whispered Kate, squashed with her back to Mike's chest as the pair crouched at the top of the stairs.

"Reckon you can divert them" whispered Mike, lips brushing distractingly against the side of her neck.

She turned slowly to face him, mouth centimetres away from his own, tempting him to close the small space between them and ravish her there on the stairs.

"And let them all know that it was me in your bed last night?"

His face fell as he realised the implications of his master plan, mind returning to the situation at hand as his eyes met her own mildly amused ones, prompting him to concentrate on her face, not the night previous.

"Daydreaming Lieutenant?" she teased, surprising him with the ease she was slipping back to their old comfort, not the straight laced second in command she was out to sea.

"Commander gorgeous, Lieutenant Commander" he mumbled, earning himself a grin.

"Where's your phone?" whispered Kate moments later, spinning around in his arms and almost causing him to lose balance, knocking his knee instead against the stairs.

---

"You hear that?" whispered Charge, slowing his rapid clean up as a muffled thud resonated from upstairs.

All five men shared a knowing glance, ET raising an eyebrow suggestibly at where the sound might have come from.

"He wouldn't" muttered Charge disbelievingly, darting his glance between a scowling Buffer and a grinning Swain.

"Hey, he doesn't know we're here" shrugged ET, sharing a look with Spider.

"What else would you be doing with a half naked blonde?"

The youngest sailor barely had time to duck as a pillow came flying at his head, curtesy of Buffer.

"One more crack about the woman and you're investigating the noise" he threatened, watching Spider's boyish grin crumble.

"Guys?"

Sally's cautious voice silenced the group, the woman waving a frantic hand at them all towards the door.

"How about we just leave?" she suggested, shrugging her shoulders sarcastically.

---

"Mike, why'd you have to go and get a different phone?" whispered Kate harshly, padding from the bedroom towards his crouched position by the stairs.

She slid to a halt as his brow crinkled in thought, cheeks glowing a pale red at the thought.

"There was an unfortunate run in with a pelican, and some water" he mumbled in return, motioning for her to stop her snickering so he could listen to the crew downstairs.

"I think they're leaving" he whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close, allowing her to watch the shadows of the crew and him to bury his head in her hair, inhaling the scent that overnight he'd come to depend on.

"They're gone"

Mike's knees gave way beneath him and the pair crumbled slowly to the floor, neither realising just how anxious the thought of being caught was until it was over.

"That was close" acknowledged Kate, turning to lye on her side against his chest.

"You reconsidering?" mumbled Mike. He ran a hand up the side of her cheek and tangled it in her hair, chest vibrating as she laughed.

"I don't think my heart would let me" she sighed, smiling up at him. Mike's face fell a few shades sombre and so she turned to lye against his chest, hands raising her head to lye beneath his chin.

"Mike, for a while my heads going to be telling me otherwise, but I'm learning to ignore it when there's enough reason"

"I'm enough reason to ignore that intelligent brain of yours?" questioned Mike, a tad surprised at the thought even if his grin hid it.

Kate batted the top of his head lightly, running a finger down his cheek to rest on his lips. Using her other hand she pushed herself up on his chest, leaning down close to his face so her lips were brushing his own.

"Happy Birthday handsome"


	4. Chapter 4

"Pancakes?" questioned Kate loudly, yelling down the hallway as Mike pottered round his lounge room, rearranging the photos and books displaced by the men earlier.

She heard what sounded like mumbled reply, and assuming his taste hadn't changed over the past five years proceeded to pour the thick batter into the frying pan, watching the lumpy tan mass bubble away. She winced slightly as it turned an oddly unfamiliar colour, something niggling at her that all was not right.

"Kate"

She felt his presence moments before the low growl rumbled up her spin, causing the tingly feeling to spread through her body as his arms captured her waist from behind, pulling her back to his chest and her neck to his lips.

"Mike, food" she tried to point out, failing miserably as he reacquainted himself with the curve of her skin running down her shoulder.

"I missed your neck" he mumbled against her, spinning her slowly in his arms to face him "And I missed your lips" he added, brushing them with his own.

"Though I don't miss your cooking gorgeous" he smiled, breaking the trance she was in as a loud pop surprised her, the near black pancake mixture exploding round the edges.

She gasped in surprise as Mike laughed playfully, burying his head in her hair to try and stop the grin forming as she stared wide eyed at what was supposed to be their breakfast.

"Fruit Loops?" he suggested casually, leaning round her shoulder to smile knowingly.

"You read my mind sailor" she grinned in reply.

---

"What do you mean, there was someone else in the house?" questioned Nikki disbelievingly, brow furrowing as the men nodded along steadily.

"It's true Nik" smiled Sally from behind them, balancing a squirming Chloe in her arms and shrugging as the navigator sighed in disbelief.

"I thought Kate said she was going to get him out of there" she mumbled, stopping a moment to ponder the thought.

The five men plus Bomber and Robert all watched as she crinkled her brow, pausing a moment before her face lit up with realisation, a wicked grin crossing her features.

"You said this woman had blonde hair" she smiled, glancing round the room to see who would clue in first.

"And Kate was supposed to pick up Mike this morning to take him out so we could set up" she continued, grin spreading as Sally gasped in realisation, barely suppressing a squeal.

"Except she obviously didn't get him out of the house, now did she" concluded the Navigator, all but bouncing off her seat as Bomber yelled out loudly.

The three women grinned knowingly at each other, all having pieced together the clues to solve the mysterious matter of the blonde in the boss's kitchen.

"I don't get it" mumbled Spider, sharing a similarly confused glance with the five other men.

"Oh my god" sighed Bomber, resisting the urge to whack him up he back of the head.

Sally, who hadn't been as liberal with her husband, shifted Chloe to her other hip and walked over to stand with the Nikki and Bomber.

"Boys, boys, boys" she grinned wickedly.

"It's time we pay dear cap'n Mike another visit"

---

Mike opened the front door slowly, lips curling in amusement at the slightly drenched sailors standing on the steps. The rain had continued to pour throughout the morning, leaving the crew to sniffle and cough as their clothing turned a distinct shade darker then when they'd dressed.

"Morning, Sir" nodded Charge flatly, avoiding the man's gaze as best he could.

Mike had to bite down on his lip to hide the smirk.

"You lot want to come in?" he drawled slowly, opening the door wider and leaning against it as they filed in gratefully.

"Coffee…?"

"Right, sir, there's two ways we can go about this" stated Swain suddenly, trying to keep a firm, somewhat stern, gaze on his captain but crumbling as the man turned to face him.

Mike's eyebrows rose slowly, the small action conveying much more than words ever could.

ET drew in a deep, terrified breath, praying for some courage to see him through..

"Sir, we saw Kate here early" he blurted out, clapping a hand against his mouth as the rest of the men gasped in annoyance, wanting to draw out the fire of questions for as long as possible; not blab it to the captain the first chance they got.

Mike, clad in jeans and a shirt, leant against his kitchen bench, reaching a hand behind his back to grab his coffee and bury his head in the steaming mug.

"Is that so" he mumbled slowly.

His face remained still – unreadable to the crew members shuffling before him. For the first time in the last hour, since Nav had made the shocking accusation that their Executive Officer had been the blonde dashing around in the captain's shirt in the early hours of the morning, the sailors considered the fact that she may have been wrong.

"What if I was to ask how on earth you knew that?" questioned the captain, watching their faces fall and revelling in his power to initiate such quaking as was Spider trying to dash from the room.

The five men – not including Robert who'd opted out of Operation Birthday – glanced at the other, trying desperately to not be the one stuck with explaining.

"Kate told them to come around this morning as she was supposed to have gotten you out of the house Mike" sighed Sally, wondering why she was trying to help her husband when there was so much fun to be had in watching him squirm – as Mike was now.

"Why…" he pondered aloud "Would Kate have told you to come around?"

He let his head fall to the side in a perfect gesture of confusion, mentally applauding his wonderful skills at lying. Unfortunately he couldn't hide the smirk as his sailors all stumbled over the reason, still not willing to give away the party that he'd learnt of that morning.

Sally, watching his face with a trained eye had to hide the gasp as his lip curled up in amusement, realising that he knew exactly what was going on, and that only one person could have told him.

_So it was Kate_ she grinned inwardly, throwing Mike a knowing look.

He bristled slightly at being caught out, managing to hide the display of emotion as the crew mumbled between each other. He watched Sally a moment, relaxing as she winked – she wasn't going to give him away just yet.

He'd have to talk to her…

"So, it wasn't the X this morning then?" asked Nav, somewhat disappointed that her theory hadn't been correct. She was praying that the captain had dropped the matter of his birthday, and instead would move on to lying about his 'morning activities'.

They all took a step backwards towards the front door as he sighed loudly, allowing anger that he knew he should be feeling – but didn't – to seep through his voice.

"I don't know where any of you got the idea that Lieutenant McGregor and I were engaged in some sort of…activity, of any sort, this morning or any other morning. But I hope that you will drop this line of enquiry, and will not raise it with Kate – ever!"

He watched in satisfaction as they all nodded their heads quickly, avoiding his gaze and shuffling towards the door, mumbling a few 'yes sirs' and 'of course sirs' along the way.

Mike huffed dramatically, leading them all out into the rain once more.

"Sir?"

He stopped suddenly, resisting the urge to yell as Spider's terrified, yet curious, voice piped up from the back.

"Sir, if it _wasn't_ the X at your place this morning…who was it?"

Mike almost chocked on his coffee as Buffer whacked the young sailor up the back of the head.

"Seaman Webb that is none of your business" huffed the captain dramatically, not missing the raised eyebrows of both Bomber and Nikki meeting over the men's heads.

_So there was a woman…_

"Yes sir" mumbled Spider in reply, dashing out the door.

---

By the time the crew had dispersed from his front step Mike was ready to curl up under the covers once more, the dreary day and the, _interesting_, events of the morning slightly overwhelming him.

He jumped up from the lounge as the phone rang, hand shooting towards it in the hopes that a certain blonde executive officer had decided to grace him with her presence once more – well at least her voices presence.

"I'm looking for a certain Lieutenant Commander Flynn" teased the voice on the other end, laughter dancing round the edges.

"Well I don't know about any Lieutenant Commanders, but I know someone whose Birthday it is who'd love to chat"

"Chat, Mike? Really?" she questioned and he chuckled knowingly, leaning back against the pillows of his lounge.

"Fine then" he conceded "Maybe not _chat_"

"The crew just dropped by, not giving the Feds a run for their money but they were pretty damn close" he admitted after a moment of conformable silence.

He listened as Kate's breath hitched, the close call threatening to destabilise the balance that she'd reached between her heart and mind.

"Kate?" he questioned slowly, worried by her silence.

"I'm good – glad I decided to leave when I did" she teased, relaxing as his voice soothed her into belief – the belief that they were doing the right thing.

"We'll have to tell Marshall soon Kate" suggested Mike finally and she sighed, watching the cracks to her perfect setting develop slowly – for a while there she'd been quite content to stay within Saturday Morning forever.

"Yeah, we'll figure it out?" she replied, statement sounding more like a question and he hummed in response, assuring her of his intention to see what ever came their way through till the end.

"We will Kate, I promise"

"Don't promise" she asked slowly, startling him with the pleading in her tone.

"Do" she whispered.

He smiled shyly, unseen nod felt by her on the other end of the line.

"So, ready for your surprise Birthday Party this afternoon?" she asked, light tone replacing the sober one from moments early.

He grinned in response "Sure, as long as I'm not drilled about the mysterious blonde in my kitchen again"

"Well your mysterious blonde will have to make room because I've decided to give you another go, _Lieutenant Commander"_

"To keep my sheets warm?" he teased gently, rolling onto his side.

He heard her giggle slightly, music to his ears as he sighed, heart overwhelmed by the events of the past 24 hours.

"Exactly" she whispered in response.

"My feet are a bit chilly now..."

"Is that an offer Mr Flynn?" she drawled lightly, listening to his even breath on the other end.

"Depends gorgeous" he replied finally; smiling "you going to keep your end of the promise?"

"Damn straight I am" she giggled, already slipping her boots on to run out the door.

_And I don't care what they do_

'_Cause being here with you_

_is news to me _

_Tell everybody _

_The Lights are Back On_


	5. Chapter 5

"Something's not right"

A thoughtful silence filled the car's small interior after she spoke; ET, Spider and Robert glancing at one another in question.

"You think he's lying?" asked Bomber, nodding in agreement with the dark headed Navigator as she pulled the car to a halt, throwing a U turn before speeding down the other side of the road.

---

In the car behind them Swain exclaimed softly, throwing a glance back at Buffer and Charge, looking rather uncomfortable as Chloe sang in her car seat between them.

"Just follow them" called Sally, smiling knowingly. She'd wondered how long it would take until Nikki and Bomber realised that Mike hadn't told them the truth – or at least was hiding part of it.

Swain huffed in annoyance, still not understanding why the women found it so important to drill the captain about his love life – did they not understand that the guys were going to be the ones paying for their meddling ways!

He shared a look with Buffer and Charge before slowing the car, throwing it round the bend as Nikki had done moments before hand and accelerating down the stretch of road, dreading the confrontation that was about to occur.

---

"No, no, no, no, no!"

Bomber rolled her eyes somewhat non-discreetly as Spider tried in vain to sink into the leather seats of the car, pressing himself against the door.

"I am not going to the X's place!" he called loudly, the hand holding his car seat shaking slightly.

Nikki huffed quietly "You won't have to speak Spider, just be there for moral support" she suggested lightly, glancing up in the review mirror to smile at the three, young, terrified faces in the back.

"Suck it up boys, we're going" called Bomber, obviously opting for a more tough approach to the situation.

---

"What on earth…" mumbled Charge, trying to extract the corner of his shirt from Chloe's grasp. The youngster squealed in annoyance as he succeeded in his quest, murmuring in triumph and patting the little girls brown wisps of hair.

"Where do they think they're going?" asked Buffer, pointing after the car in front.

"The captain's place is back…..no. They wouldn't!" he exclaimed, shuffling uncomfortably at the thought of where they were going next.

"She's going to kill us" he warned loudly, already envisioning the torturous glare of a certain blonde XO followed by months of deadly chores.

Charge shivered slightly, remembering a time when the X had made Spider clean the ship with a toothbrush for merely having fun. How on earth was she going to react to being accused of breaking the first and foremost rule of the Navy?

---

Kate chuckled lightly to herself.

_Of course_ they'd decided to drop by her house; obviously Mike's word wasn't enough.

She grabbed her bag from the table, slipping her shoes on as she made her way out the front door, pretending she hadn't seen the crew pull up yet and was instead getting ready to leave the house – the second part of her charade partially true as she calculated that she'd be a little later to Mike's than first intended.

She stepped lightly onto the dying grass of her tiny stretch of front lawn, watching as her 8 sailors – plus Sally and Chloe – all tumbled from the small confines of the cars, the women smiling a hello and striding towards her as the men coward behind.

She laughed quietly to herself; it was going to take all her self control _not_ to smirk and give everything away.

"Good Morning" she smiled instead.

Nikki returned the greeting brightly, the rest of the crew coming to stand in a line slightly behind her; so that the group resembled a miniature Hollywood war scene, two sides facing each other in rows as the weighed up their opponent.

The only problem was the sides were 10 – 1.

---

Kate sighed loudly for the umpteenth time, watching as Nikki's eye brow rose with each statement.

The guys had been quite content to stay on the front lawn with Chloe, the other three women shuffling Kate quite forcibly inside to drill her, deciding it would be made much easier if it was just the four of them.

"So, you haven't seen Mike all morning?" repeated Bomber once more, watching Kate's face closely for any flicker of emotion that may have crossed her features.

"No, I have not"

"Why not?" asked Sally suddenly, remembering that Kate had meant to pick up the captain that morning as part of his birthday surprise.

She smiled inwardly as Kate's eyes flickered, Nikki and Bomber so caught up in the fact that their captain was possibly sleeping with their XO to remember the finer points of what had started the line of enquiry in the first place.

"My, um, my car was playing up. I tried to ring you guys to let you know before hand, but the call mustn't have got through"

She mumbled out finally, glancing up at Sally and the disbelieving smirk she wore; praying that she wouldn't say anything.

"So where were you going when we turned up?" asked Bomber slowly, catching onto Sally's train of thought.

Kate blinked rapidly.

"Bus" she blurted out, mind speeding through the time table she had glanced over almost a year ago in the hopes that a bus was supposed to come near her place sometime soon – just in case, for some ungodly reason, one of the three knew the routes for her area.

A silence filled her small lounge room and she breathed out lightly, praying that all interrogation would come to a halt soon – she was really aching to see Mike again.

"Are we done here?" she asked finally, fidgeting with the corners of her bag.

The three other women glanced at one another, Nikki sighing loudly as she relinquished.

Somewhere, somehow, she knew that she was being lied to. She just didn't have the evidence or means to back up her claim. Furthermore she knew all of them had treaded a very fine line between having some fun and getting themselves fired that morning.

It still amazed her that Kate had reacted as calmly as she had.

---

"What do you mean she didn't kill you?" breathed out Spider, glancing at the back of Bomber's head in awe as both women sat – frowns etched across their features – and pondered the mornings events.

"She took everything calmly" mumbled Nikki, gripping the steering wheel till her knuckles turned white. Suddenly she hit the leather circle hard, causing the three men in the back to jump, rather surprised by her sudden outburst.

"I know something's going on between those two, even if it wasn't Kate at Mike's last night! The way her looks at her sometimes, it, it's like no one else exists and I just want the two of them to realise it because it breaks my heart to see them both so in…"

"Nik!" interrupted a desperate voice from the back, stopping the ramble of emotion flowing from her lips.

She turned slightly to face ET, pouting as the three guys resisted the urge to laugh.

"Nik, this is the captain and the X. Not some day time soap"

"I don't know what bridge you've been on but all I've seen between the two of them is pissed of glances, I doubt they feel anything other than frustration towards each other" pointed out Robert.

Bomber snorted in disbelief, rolling her eyes at the oblivion that most men inhabited.

"More like sexual frustration…"

---

Sally leant softly against the glass window of the car, smiling gently as the three men debated over why the X had been so gentle with them for suggesting something as impossible as her _actually _sleeping with the captain.

She smirked as they each confessed that they had known all along that the suggestion wasn't true, and had played along to keep Nikki and Bomber happy as well as to see the look on the captain's face at the suggestion.

She bit down on her lip softly as her husband chuckled along with the men, oblivious to how wrong he was.

Sally truly was happy that Mike had finally found someone, god knows he deserved to settle down and be loved more than half the other guys on that ship.

_Kate…_

She hadn't known Kate as long as Mike, yet somehow she was certain that the two of them would last. She'd seen the looks pass between them, the touches and the ease at which they stood side by side, whether it be at work or down at the pub with a beer.

"Beg pardon hun?" asked Swain softly, laying a hand on her knee and startling her from her thoughts.

She shook her head lightly, realising she'd spoken that last part out loud.

"Just hoping they figure it out soon" she smiled faintly "Nikki and ET that is"

Swain grinned at her in understanding, chuckling along with Buffer and Charge at the dance the two younger sailors had been stepping for the past year.

"Yeah, they'll get it sooner or later" laughed Buffer.

Sally smiled gently as she laid her head against the window once more.

_If only the crew would get _it_ sooner or later as well…_


	6. Chapter 6

Mike jumped slightly as the distinct chime of the doorbell rang through the household, jostling him from the restless sleep he'd been enveloped in moments earlier.

He tried to mumble a reply, instead yelping as his legs moved to swing off the side of his bed, and instead fell through air, his back side following to land with a thump on the floor as he realised he'd fallen asleep on the lounge; and was now seated uncomfortably on the floor boards.

"Comin…." he cried, trailing off as he heaved himself onto his knees, grabbing the edge of the table and pulling on it try and resemble a standing figure.

"You asleep again?"

He grinned as her voice sounded from outside the door, leaning his forehead against the wooden doorframe and smiling gently.

"The lounge is comfortable" he mumbled gently, reaching a hand down to turn the knob.

Her heart pounded as he came into view, hair tussled from being buried in the corner of the lounge. He'd changed into a pair of track pants and a t-shirt, somehow twisted round his stomach so that she reached out to run her hand across his skin, a slither showing where his pants and shirt had refused to meet.

"Can I join you?" she asked simply, stepping inside the house and dropping her bag by the door.

Suddenly his hands were upon her waist and she was pulled towards him, lips last to contact his own as he pressed his body to hers, sharing her warmth.

A cold breeze was blowing through the still falling rain, wiping splashes of cold droplets against her ankles. He fumbled behind her, one arm pulling her body tighter whilst the other pushed the door closed, the loud thud it created pushing them both backwards, through to the lounge.

"Warmer?" she murmured, brushing her lips against his cheek as his hands found their way underneath her jacket, tugging it from her. She shuffled slightly against him, knocking his legs so that they collapsed backwards onto the soft cushions of the lounge.

"A little" he grumbled in reply, brushing his lips down her face to find her mouth, smiling as he succeeded in his quest.

He resisted the urge to growl as she pulled away quickly, untangling his hands from underneath her shirt and bringing them to rest on top of his chest, kissing the white knuckles lightly.

"The FBI dropped by before" she smiled softly, now lying across his chest so that she felt beneath her when he sighed loudly.

"They don't give up, do they?"

"And they're not going to, at least not the girls" sighed Kate. She pushed gently against Mike's stomach, straddling his waist between her knees as his brow crinkled slightly and lips curled in a smile.

"I've been thinking" she said finally, frowning.

"That can't be good" smirked Mike, quietening immediately as her finger pressed against his lips.

"Shhh you" she smiled; blush seeping through her cheeks as he kissed her finger softly.

"One of us will eventually have to leave Hammersley"

She pressed her finger down harder as he opened his mouth to protest, squeezing her legs tight around his middle as he frowned in discomfort.

"Let me finish" she mumbled, huffing slightly.

"I also think that one day isn't really enough time to gauge where we're heading"

Kate hit Mike's arm lightly as his eyes drifted towards the bedroom, quickly snapping back to face her as she growled in annoyance. He bit down on his top lip, shrugging slightly as she huffed once more.

"I'm just saying…."

His words were cut off as she leant forward, kissing him hard and startling any form of coherency from his mind. Working on auto his hands found their way to the back of her shirt, sliding underneath the fabric to run up her bare back, tugging the clothing along with him.

"Now…can….we?" he asked between kisses, breath coming hard and fast as she pulled his head close to her own, fingers racking through his hair.

"Bedroom…"

She trailed off as he flipped her effortlessly, giggling like a school girl against his lips as he finally succeeded in freeing her of the confines of her shirt, the material of the lounge rough against her pale skin but warmed by the hands now making their way towards her jeans.

"Shit…"

"Huh?"

Mike stopped suddenly, pushing himself up on his elbows to tower above Kate's small frame, her now swollen bottom lip being held between her teeth as she reached into her jeans pocket, finally pulling from it her vibrating phone.

"Who is it?" whispered Mike, watching as she slid the phone open and pressed it to her ear.

He leaned back as her face lips turned down in confusion, finally brightening as realisation occurred.

"Hello sweetheart"

Mike sat back, now quite confused himself as Kate laughed loudly, squirming slightly beneath him as the small voice on the other end babbled away.

"Did you grab mummy's phone?" asked Kate and suddenly everything made sense.

Mike grinned, leaning back down to press a kiss to Kate's forehead, trailing his lips lightly down her temple before burying his head against her neck.

He laughed quietly as she squirmed, reaching out a hand to hit his back harshly, hoping he'd move.

There was something oddly disconcerting about having his lips against her skin when a one year old Chloe was singing loudly over the phone.

Mike huffed gently, pressing his lips to her cheek once more before pushing himself up on his elbows. On a sudden whim he leant down near the phone, listening in on Chloe's one sided conversation and waiting for a pause.

"Hey Chloe" he called happily as soon as the tot stopped for breath. Kate glared at him as he shrugged, whispering that the little girl was hardly in a position to rat the two of them out to anyone, even if – and it was very unlikely – anyone else was in the room with her.

"Hey there Mike"

"Shit…"

Kate grabbed the phone away from her ear, eyes wide and glaring at Mike as Sally's cheerful voice sounded over the phone line.

---

"Who's that hun?" asked Swain, leaning over from where he was chatting with Buffer and Charge to watch his smirking wife extract her phone from Chloe's sticky hands.

"Mike" replied the woman simply, listening to the man's frantic pleas on the other side to stop talking or forever regret it.

Sally shook her head lightly, glancing down at the phone once more before deciding enough was enough.

"He must have picked up Kate's by accident, because I swear that's her number Chloe called" she grinned before standing and walking down the hall towards the kitchen, phone safely enclosed with in her hand.

Behind her a flurry of arms and legs flew across the room, each crew member – they'd all decided to assemble at Swain's to discuss the progression of the bosses birthday party – fighting to reach the home phone.

---

"What'd we do" breathed out Mike softly, gazing down solemnly at Kate.

She shrugged slowly in reply, corner of her lips twitching up as they both rolled onto their sides, now facing one another.

"Well she didn't actually tell them"

"And they've all been pretty oblivious so far"

"Even if they do think something of it we can throw them off easily"

"And the chances of them actually figuring it out are extremely low"

"You're right" nodded Kate firmly, resolving to believe Mike's words no matter how unlikely they were in reality. She snuggled into his arms, surprising him with the ease at which she wrapped her arms around his chest; after all he'd possibly just blown a whole day's worth of undercover, espionage like work with one simple sentence.

"Have I told you that I love you" he whispered softly, pulling her tighter. He kissed her forehead as she smiled gently, nodding against his chest.

"Love you to" she whispered, so softly he almost missed it, if not for the longing he'd felt for those words all day.

He shuffled against the lounge so that she was lying a top him, eye fluttering closed as his hand ran up and down her bare back soothingly, lulling both to sleep.

Outside the wind had picked up and the ever falling rain was slanting diagonally against his window, blurring the outside world in a mass of curvy lines and flashing lights; enclosing them safely within the houses confines.

Mike sighed contently; they were happy and together - and warm – and nothing would come between them.

He blinked once before grumbling in annoyance.

Through the silence of the household a phone rang.


	7. Epilouge

"Kate?"

He watched as she stood near the window, gazing out at the pools of people in the backyard below.

"How are we supposed to tell them?" she murmured softly, pushing back the curtain. She stepped away, turning with her arms wrapped around herself to watch him by the bed.

"It was so much easier hiding from them" she sighed and at once collapsed into his outstretched arms, letting his hands rub there way up her forearm to warm her.

"What's so scary?" he asked gently, brushing the hair from her eyes. He watched her blink slowly before she shrugged, huffing anyway.

"This coming from the woman who takes on hostage takers and mercenaries and god knows what else everyday without flinching"

He smiled as she shuffled defiantly in his arms, head still resting against his shoulders even as she stepped back from him.

"Not anymore" she mumbled and for a second both's thoughts flew to the new XO that would be gracing Hammersley soon.

"Maybe we shouldn't tell them" suggested Mike lightly, hand now rubbing up Kate's back. He smiled as she laughed slightly, both thinking the same thing.

_No one would ever fill the shoes she was leaving. _

"You ready?" he asked suddenly, tugging her towards the waiting door.

"Nooo" called Kate quickly, pulling him back the opposite way. Her eyes were wide and slightly desperate so he didn't put up much of a fight as her small arms gripped him tight, causing them both to fall back on the bed.

He did, however, roll quickly, pinning her beneath him.

"Half of them already know" he tried, smiling as her brow crinkled in worry.

"So, relax" he added, and before she could reply his lips were upon her.

"Mike.." she whined, pushing him away.

"Sally knows, and Nikki's suspicious" she stopped a moment "Who else knows?"

" Well I think we can safely rule out the guys"

"Chloe? Maybe?"

Kate pushed a hand against Mike's shoulder, sighing as he grinned at his own joke.

Without warning he rolled off her, resting an arm behind his head so they were lying side by side.

"I'm a little scared" he pondered aloud, reaching the tips of his fingers out to lay against hers.

"We're going to get hell from the guys, aren't we?" asked Kate, shuffling onto her side to face Mike.

"Especially when they realise it was you in my shirt that morning"

"And that you lied to them"

"You lied too" frowned Mike indignantly.

Kate smiled happily.

_A s__oft smile _Mike catalogued mentally, storing the image away with the millions other he'd collected over the past few weeks. He reached out a fingertip to run across her bottom lip, lips following as her eyes drifted shut.

"Let's run away"

he chuckled as her lips moved against his, the words jumbled between the taste and feel of each other.

"Why's that?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbow to gaze down at her. Instinctively her knee bent to throw her leg across his own, body shuffling closer to his chest. He'd been amused to discover she was still in favour of physical closeness – even if it was in the locked safety of either of their homes where no spying eyes could penetrate – it made him feel safe somehow, the knowledge in the middle of the night that the weight across his stomach was the woman he loved.

"We could elope in Vegas" he grinned casually, running a finger up her arm and ignoring the rambling explanation she'd expressed for running.

She stopped abruptly, eyes wide, before tilting her head to the side.

"Was that a proposal?" she asked, lips quirking slightly.

The eyebrow rose with it and he resisted the urge to laugh, assured that his unknown slip had been taken lightheartedly.

"Do you want it to be one?" he leered and leant closer, blinking his eyes shut as she leant towards him.

He gasped as her tongue flickered out, caressing the soft mark between his eyes from a long forgotten childhood accident.

"Kay" she mumbled before turning away, leaving him short of breath and wide eyed.

"Mike?"

Somehow he managed a mumbled response.

"Love you" she called across the bed, now curled up with her back to him. He breathed out slowly, smiling softly as he realised she was falling asleep on him. He turned on the bed, resting a hand on her back and pressing down lightly.

It wasn't often that she told him, wasn't often either said the words if he was being truthful. But they both knew, every morning when they woke and the other was still there.

He pulled himself across the covers so he was lying on top of her, elbows stopping his large frame from squashing her.

He hated replying to her with 'I love you too', the fourth word making it sound like an after thought, or a forced expression he had to say because she had.

Instead he liked saying it as if it was a revelation; a miraculous wonder that she had given him another chance. Which when he really thought, it was.

"Hey Katie"

She yawned and shifted beneath him, eyes gazing terribly bright into his own.

"I love you"

His stomach flipped at the smile he was cataloguing. It was his favourite and by far her rarest.

"You know what?" he asked, settling down so his face was millimetres from her own.

"I don't know what you're worried about, if you can handle loving someone like me than telling that lot of scoundrels should be a walk in the park"

Kate laughed softly, flicking a finger against his forehead affectionately.

"Well then sailor, what are we waiting for?" she smiled, wriggling herself up against him before sliding away off the bed.

"Oy!" He called, following quickly "Don't start something you can't finish" he mumbled as an arm wrapped around her waist and is head found her hair.

Vanilla. Sea. Some type of shampoo he'd have to discover the name of tomorrow in the shower but was really beginning to like.

Kate.

"Guess we'll just have to get this over and done with quickly then" she grinned, tugging his hand towards the stairs.

"Then home?"

"Mmhhh"

"Bed?"

"Maybe…"

"Lounge then, I open to all options…"

He laughed happily as her hand collided with his shoulder.

"That a no?"

"Shut up Mike"

"Yes Ma'am"

She paused at the sliding door and glanced around at her friends, watching them quietly in the soft evening light before stepping back against Mike's chest.

His hand sought hers and squeezed it gently, other reaching out to rest on the doorhandle.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be"

They stepped forwards slowly, first stars light guiding them gently.

…_don't care what they do…_

…_being here with you…_

_It's news to me, tell everybody_

_The lights are back on_


End file.
